No Boundaries Opens an Island of Artists

For the next two weeks, local and international artists will bring their talents to several houses on Bald Head Island, taking part in the No Boundaries arts colony.

By Megan V. Williams

Kure Beach, NC – The ferry to Bald Head Island will bear an unusual load of creativity with it this Friday, as more than 20 artists set sail for the No Boundaries colony.

For the past eight years, the gathering has assembled a wide range of artists to create their work together, alternating annually between local and international gatherings. This year's group includes representatives from nine foreign countries, including artists from Wilmington's sister cities: Bridgetown, Barbados; Dandong, China; and Doncaster, England.

Over the next two weeks, the artists will paint, photograph, and print in the colony's several houses, joined by friends, musicians, and other fans.

No Boundaries cofounder Gayle Tustin said the island setting is very important for the colony, as the North Carolina scenery seeps into the works of artists from around the globe. "The landscape and the water and the environment does seem to influence everybody that's out there," she said, "whether you're an abstract artist or a landscape painter."

The work may be a stretch for some. At an opening reception Thursday at the Fort Fisher Aquarium, Wilmington ceramicist Hiroshi Sueyoshi joked about the challenge of returning to paint and canvas, a medium he hasn't used since his student days, decades ago.

According to Tustin, the two weeks on the island are only the beginning. Artists, she said, leave with "new doors open, a new insight on the world."

The No Boundaries colony wraps up on November 18th with a show of the artists' work at Acme Art Studios. Selected artists shows will follow.